Lockheed Martin’s new single-engine F-35 Joint Strike
Fighter is the latest Swiss Army Knife of fighter aircraft for the US military.
The plane, which is destined to replace
the F-16, AV8-B, A-10 and F/A-18, will be available in three variants:

F-35A: Conventional Take-Off and Landing (CTOL)

F-35B: Short Take-Off Vertical Landing (STOVL)

F-35C: Carrier Based Variant (CV)

Lockheed is now proposing a fourth variant that it has been
working on for the past two years. The design proposal is for an unmanned
version of the F-35 that could operate as a hybrid -- that is, it could be
configured to either fly by remote or if need be with a human pilot in the
cockpit. Many have stated that the F-35 would be the last manned fighter jet
for the Air Force as the military has been pouring more and more dollars into unmanned
combat systems. Lockheed's proposed unmanned J-35 would bridge the gap between
the past and the future of aerial combat. From the Washington
Post:

The Pentagon, looking
to save money, has accelerated spending on unmanned systems since the Sept. 11,
2001, terrorist attacks. This year, it allocated $2 billion for unmanned
aircraft and millions more in the supplemental budget, compared with $363
million in 2001. The figure is projected to reach more than $3 billion by the end
of the decade. What has resulted is a hodgepodge of unmanned vehicles, such as
small, bomb-seeking robots that can be carried in a backpack, and airplanes
that provide surveillance for days at a time. The systems have become bigger
and more expensive in recent years, such as the Predator, built by General
Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc., and the Global Hawk, which has a 134-foot
wingspan, comparable to the Boeing 737.

Lockheed has been playing second fiddle to other names in
the industry, namely Boeing,
when it comes to unmanned aircraft. The price tag of
the F-35 program has also ballooned from $201 billion to $276 billion. The price increase along
with the government's increasing fascination with unmanned drones is probably
why the initial order for 2,000 planes could likely drop significantly in the
near future.

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Sorry, that is the most stupid, and insensitive, comment I've heard all day, maybe all month.

Please remember that more than 3,000 innocent people died on 9/11 as a result of the terrorist attacks, and that these deaths directly affected tens of thousands of people who lost fathers, sons, mothers, daughters, husbands, wives, friends, associates, etc.

Please understand the seriousness of this tragedy and keep your stupid comments to yourself.

Not to get personal, but to sheepishly believe the US Government story (full of holes perpetuated by mindless "patriots") when this article PROVES the aerospace engineers have the technology to pull it off... then not to question is more disgraceful and disrespectful to those no longer with us.

Bullshit. What is disgraceful and disrespectful to those who lost their lives is to perpetuate baseless conspiracy theories that the US government murdered these people as some kind of bizarre experiment. You have no factual proof and can cite no rational motive.

I appreciate the idea of challenging what the government tells us, and I can appreciate and recognize mistakes the government made in the past, but it also doesn't make any sense to take something like this to the point of being completely stupid.

Likewise, there is no factual proof 19 amatuers hijacked planes on 9/11. A passport that somehow survived fire and collapsing of the WTC buildings? Some blurry footage of people taking money out at a ATM machine? A split second video showing something appearing in front of the Pentagon?

For every "fact" that suggests it was genuinely terrorists who did this, there are conflicting forensic items that dispute the events. What about the FAA tapes that are still classified showing the flight patterns? Firefighter recordings that state the fire was under control and "small." Firefighter recordings that are still classified. Seismographs showing explosion like activity. The very fact that all of the remains of WTC were sent to scrap yards and not forensically analyzed. The fact that several of the named terrorists have been found to be still living. First and only time steel buildings collapsed because of fire.

You know something asshole, I was in NYC staring out at the burning towers as well. So don't make it like your the only god of this forum who saw 9/11.

You are so full of conspiracy nonesense it is almost funny if it weren't so sad.You take a line from "V from Vandetta", then take another from Metal Gear Solid in the form of "Patriots", and then to top it off you read into everything that the "Loose Change" video said. I suggest you search for "Loose Change Lies", maybe that will teach you some common sense. But kids like you need to feel that they are superior and "in the know" while everyone around them are idiots, so I doubt anything will convince you no matter how concrete the proof; so I am not going to bother.

It really is insane when a bunch of terrorist hijackers from around the world hijack multiple planes and crash them into skyscrapers and THAT isn't big enough of a conspiracy... No, idiots have to make one up that invovles government remote controlled planes. Plain stupid.

Some people need to leave mommy and daddy's basement and get some fresh air.

Just stating a fact that I was in NYC that day and will never disrespect those parted from us without getting personal. Immediately after 9/11, I too wanted to go get those "terrorists" responsible. However, as the years went on, there are now more questions than answers revolving around that day. There has not been any concrete proof from the government about 9/11 nor any capture of Bin Laden in five years. But articles like this one make it technologically feasible to accomplish what has been earlier suggested. Even the wording of this article are perculiar, "The Pentagon, looking to save money, has accelerated spending on unmanned systems since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks" Would having these JSFs prevented 9/11? Would having pilotless aircraft aided domestic security? Neither would have done anything. Maybe if all commercial aircraft are required to have this remote control capability, then an event like this can be prevented.

Correct, that line from "V for Vendetta" was very fitting and thats why I used it. Don't understand the "Patriots" reference, this term was pounded into our heads by our government immediately after 9/11... Patriot Act, etc Saw "Loose Change" and searching for your "Loose Change Lies" at your suggestion. But from what I have found so far, the disputes of "Loose Change" are very weak.

The forensic items I mention have been brought to light by several sources, including mainstream media. There are facts within "Loose Change" but there is ancedotal information as well.

You know what? There are no more questions about 9/11 except those raised by the anti-Bush people who want to come up with something thay can pin on Bush as being evil. Guess what? There already is one thing, his cooperation with the banking and credit card industries. Call him evil for that, but he did not plan or cause 9/11.

I have seen "V for Vendetta" and you know what I saw? I saw the far leftists trying to destroy the democratic process by producing hate filled, closed minded sheep that protest the protection of innocents by both the US in Iraq and Israel in Lebanon. The people who were being killed by the US and Israel in the middle east are the very people who were supporting the terrorists who were killing innocent civilians in Isreal, Iraq, and the US. The far leftists, who want power so bad they can taste it, are willing to lie about anything just so they can overthrow the properly elected people who actually will defend the people being victimized by tyrants. You want to hate manipulators? Take a look to the left.